Device for filling individual receptacles with a metered quantity of a flowable material

ABSTRACT

A device for filling individual receptacles with a metered quantity of a flowable material which may be of viscous or granular consistency from a supply of such material comprises a metering wheel including a rotatable hollow hub on which are radially mounted a plurality of metering containers, open at both ends. The containers are successively filled with the material by feeding the material into the hollow hub from which it passes by gravity into the containers as the wheel turns. Each filled container discharges its contents into a bag or other receptacle fitted upon the open outer end of the container. The thus filled bags are successively removed from the wheel for transfer to a point of utilization.

United States Patent Ohring [1 1 3,659,634- 1 May 2,1972

154] DEVICE FOR FILLING INDIVIDUAL RECEPTACLES WITH A METERED QUANTITY OF A FLOWABLE MATERIAL [72] Inventor: Lothar Ohrlng, Pfarrgasse 6, Schweinfun,

Germany [22] Filed: Jim. 30, 1970 211 App]. No.: 7,158

[58] Field oiSearch ..141/163, 309,152,177, 311-317, 141/131-13 1, 267, 268, 269; 53/183 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,151,283 3/1939 Stockdale ..141/163 2,763,417 9/1956 Carsonetal ..141/177 2,721,017 10/1955 Hiscock ..141/163 Primary Examiner-Houston S. Bell, Jr. Anomey-Hane, Baxley & Spiecens [57] ABSTRACT A device for filling individual receptacles with a metered quantity of a flowable material which may be of viscous or granular consistency from a supply of such material comprises a metering wheel including a rotatable hollow hub on which are radially mounted a plurality of metering containers. open at both ends. The containers are successively filled with the material by feeding the material into the hollow hub from which it passes by gravity into the containers as the wheel turns. Each filled container discharges its contents into a bag or other receptacle fitted upon the open outer end of the container. The thus filled bags are successively removed from the wheel for transfer to a point of utilization.

12 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures Patented May 2, 1972 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. 7

W Him WW 1 "0M9 R- H OH I Patented May 2, 1972 3,659,634

2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

Fig. 3

IN VEN TOR. [aw/me 0H/2/N6 selected weight or number of pieces, etc., of the material which may be in liquid or granular form. Generally speaking, the invention relates to packaging of material of such properties that a certain weight or volume unit of the material represents a uniform quantity thereof within an acceptable range of tolerance.

BACKGROUND Metering devices of the general kind above referred to are primarily used for packaging small quantities of material, but they are also suitable for packaging larger quantities. They are particularly used where packaging requires a substantial amount of manual labor, and especially when the presence of dust or of other conditions makes manual packaging difficult or at least time-consuming.

THE INVENTION It is an object of the invention to provide a novel and improved metering device of the general kind above referred to which permits rapid and convenient packaging of bags or other receptacles with a substantially constant quantity of a flowable material and which is simple and inexpensive in construction and does not require skilled labor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above pointed out objects, features, and advantages of the invention, and other objects, features, and advantages which will be pointed out hereinafter and are set forth in the appended claims, are obtained by feeding the flowable material such as a viscous or granular material through a discharge opening of a source of supply such as a hopper or a conveyor into a hollow hub of a metering wheel through an open face end of the hub. This wheel is formed by a plurality of radially disposed metering containers, the adjacent radial disposed side walls of which are circumferentially spaced, one from another, at the outer end of the containers. The containers are open at their outer ends and connected at their inner ends with the space within the hub. Individual bags or other receptacles are fitted for filling upon the outside of the containers.

The wheel is slowly rotated, either continuously or intermittently, and while the wheel is so rotating the hub thereof is filled with the material from the source of supply as described, thereby successively also filling the individual metering containers through the open ends thereof. Discharge of the contents of the individual containers into the bags fitted thereupon may be effected by any suitable force, preferably by gravity, as the wheel continues its rotation. Further rotation of the wheel efiects refilling of the emptied containers, as will be more fully described hereinafter. The bags may be filled upon the metering containers either automatically or manually. Such placement of the bags upon the containers is facilitated by the afore-referred to circumferential spacing of the outer ends thereof.

The metering containers may be exchangeably mounted on the hub so that the capacity of the containers can be changed in accordance with the requirements of a specific application. It is further possible and within the concept of the invention to arrange the containers so that the capacity of the containers as defined by the walls thereof is variable, for instance, by making one or more of the container walls adjustable with reference to the others. As is evident, adjustability of the capacity of the containers also permits convenient adaptation of the device to different types of material to be packaged or to different quantities to be filled into the individual bags or other receptacles.

Adjustment of the capacity of the individual metering containers can be effected by mounting the front or rear side wall of the containers as seen in the direction of the rotation of the wheel on a disc which is angularly adjustable in a plane normal to the rotational axis of the hub. As is evident, angular displacement of this disc will correspondingly change the spacing of the radial side walls of the containers with reference to each other, and thus the capacity of the containers. Of course, the front and rear side walls may be mounted on separate discs which are angularly displaceable with reference to each other. To simplify placement of the bags upon the containers irrespective of the set size thereof, a spreader ring of fixed length may be stationarily mounted, preferably radially spaced from the outer end of each container.

It is further within the concept of the invention to mount an elongate guide member outside the peripheral outline of the wheel closely adjacent thereto and juxtaposed to the part of the wheel path through which the containers travel when filled. This guide member may extend through an angle of about and may extend from about the level of the rotational axis of the hub to the bottom level of the wheel. The lower end of the guide member may be bent sharply downward to constitute below the wheel a slide for filled bags. The guide member as describedeliminates the necessity of securing the individual bags on the metering containers. Without the restraint by the guide member bags may slide off the containers while the containers are being filled or after they are filled. As is evident, a premature removal of bags from the containers would cause material to spill out through the open containers; such material would be wasted and also may jam the device. Retention of the bags at the bottom end thereof by the guide member also retains the bags in the correct position on the containers. As is apparent, even a partial outward sliding of the bags on the containers would correspondingly increase the quantity of material which can flow out of the containers into the bags and thus correspondingly increase the quantity of material filled into the bags.

It has been found to be particularly advantageous to provide in the hollow hub a closure member which closes off the open inner ends of the containers during the angular movement of the wheel during which the bag travels from the point at which filled bags are withdrawn to about the level of the rotational axis of the hub,'as seen in the rotational direction thereof.

Such closure member effectively prevents that after the withdrawal of filled bags from the individual containers additional material conveyed from the hopper into the hollow hub can flow into and through the now open metering containers.

The invention also provides that below the point at which the filled bags are removed from the wheel a checking device such as a scale is provided upon which the filled containers are directed. The checking device may be coupled with a drive means for the wheel. It serves to check the filling of the bags; if, for instance, the weight of the filled bag departs from an acceptable range of tolerance, the drive of the wheel may be stopped. When the wheel is intennittently rotated, filled bags within the acceptable tolerance range may be used to operate the checking device so that it activates the wheel for a new cycle.

According to a further aspect of the invention, metering containers already filled or still empty are guided between two webs of a suitable packaging material such as plastic foil and a sealing device is so arranged and located that it will seal together the respective edges of the two webs lengthwise straddling a container so that a bag is formed enveloping the container. The two webs can be joined along a fold line or be parts of a single web bent to a U-shape with the thus formed two branches of the web lengthwise straddling the container. The web is preferably guided from a supply drum via guide rolls. The sealing device may be controlled by the stepwise angular movement of an intermittently driven wheel.

An arrangement of this kind is particularly advantageous when the sealing device is disposed posterior of the path of travel within which the containers are filled, as seen in the direction of rotation of the metering containers. A closure member may be provided in the hollow hub which covers the inner ends of the filled containers. This closure member should extend at least to and preferably somewhat past the location of the sealing device. Such an arrangement has the advantage that the wheel can be rotated in either direction, depending upon the specific requirements of an application.

It is further within the concept of the invention to provide above the discharge end of the hopper or other source of supply such as a conveyor, a suction nozzle. The use of a suction nozzle is particularly advantageous when granular material to be packaged may contain granules below a desired minimum size such as dust. It is also possible to obtain the same result by providing above the bottom the hopper a sieve through which granules in the material below the desired minimum size will fall before they can enter one of the metering containers. The space between the sieve and the bottom may be connected to a discharge duct.

The invention also provides that the wheel is journaled by means of bearing rollers mounted on suitable frame structure. Rotation may be imparted to the wheel either by power drive such as a motor, a manual drive or foot drive such as ratchetpawl drive. Transmission of the driving power to the wheel may be effected by a belt, a chain, friction wheels or gears. Two or more sets of radially disposed metering containers may be mounted on the hub in axial arrangement thereby multiplying the number of individual bags which can be filled during each cycle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In the accompanying drawing, several preferred embodiments of the invention are shown by way of illustration and not by way of limitation.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an elevational diagrammatic view of a metering device according to the invention as seen from the side thereof opposite to the mounting of the hopper;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section of FIG. I seen edgewise;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view of a modification of the device; and

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line IV--IV of FIG. 3.

Referring now to the figures in'detail, the metering device comprises a hollow hub 4 which is journaled at its running rims 3 on bearing rolls 2 mounted on a suitable frame structure 1. One of the face ends of the hub is closed off by a plate 5 while the opposite face end 6 of the hub is left open. A discharge chute 7 of a hopper 8 extends into the-space within the hub. A sieve of suitable mesh size is mounted above the bottom wall 9 of the hopper to remove granules below a selected grain size from a granular material which is presumed to be packaged by way of example. The granules such as dust falling through sieve 10 may be removed from the space between the sieve and bottom 9 by a discharge duct 1 l.

The hub 4 mounts a ring of radially disposed individual metering containers or cells 12 which are open at their inner end facing the hub and in communication with the space therein and are also open at the outer end. As is apparent, the hub in conjunction with the metering containers constitute a wheel 13. The radial side walls 14 of the containers 12 are circumferentially spaced from each other by a distance 15 as is clearly shown in FIG. 1. The cross-sectional area of the containers increases from the inner end toward the outer end thereof, as is also shown in FIG. 1. Moreover, the peripheral outline of the containers may be square near or at the hub and may be rectangular or oval at the outer end thereof. The containers are preferably in direct engagement with each other at the hub.

One of the running rims 3 of hub 4 mounts a pulley 16 which is drivingly coupled by a transmission means 17 such as a wedge-shaped belt, a chain, etc., to a drive motor 18.

According to FIG. 2 cover plate 5 mounts a suction nozzle 19 which extends into hub 4 and above the discharge chute 7 of hopper 8. Receptacles 21 to be filled such as sacks, bags, envelopes, etc. are fitted upon the outside of the containers from the outer end thereof as the wheel slowly rotates. One

such bag 21 is indicated in FIG. 1. The wheel is presumed to rotate in the direction of arrow 20. Such rotation moves successive bags, and more specifically, the bottom 22 thereof, into engagement with a guide or retaining member 23 which starts at about the level of the rotational axis of hub 4 and is extended downwardly through an angle of about that is, to the bottom level of the wheel. The guide member is sharply bent off at 24 and continued by a slide or release member 25 which leads to a platform or a conveyor 26 such as a band conveyor or a roller conveyor for moving filled bags or other receptacles 27 to a point of utilization. As shown in FIG. 1, guide member 23 substantially matches the curvature of the peripheral outline of the wheel, but is slightly radially spaced therefrom for a purpose which will become apparent from the subsequent specification.

An elongated closure member 28 stationarily mounted within the hollow hub extends upwardly from a point about radially aligned with the bent portion 24 between members 23 and 25 to about the level of the axis of the hub, again as seen in the rotational direction indicated by arrow 20. As will be more fully described hereinafter, closure member 28 serves to prevent influx of material into metering containers after the bags are removed therefrom, which is effected when the containers face approximately downwardly and are free of guide member 23, as is shown in FIG. 1.

Instead of providing a conveyor 26 or a stationary receiving platform, a scale or other checking device may be provided to check whether the contents of a filled bag 27 is within a selected range of tolerance. The checking device is not illustrated, to simplify the drawing.

The hereinbefore described structure of the metering device may be modified by mounting the forward wall 29 (as seen in the rotational direction 20) of containers 12 on one disc and the rear wall 30 of the containers on another disc. These discs are disposed normal to and coaxial with the rotationalaxis of the wheel on axially opposite sides thereof. At least one of the discs is angularly displaceable with reference to the other. As is evident, such displacement of the discs relative to each other and thus also of walls 29 relative to walls 30 effects a corresponding change in the capacity of metering containers 12. As it is indicated in FIG. 1 for a metering container 12 a spreader ring 31 is stationarily mounted radically spaced apart from the outer ends of the containers. This ring does not participate in the rotation of the discs and thus also not in the change in the positions of the container walls by such rotation; it serves to facilitate the fitting of a bag upon the outer container ends irrespective of a volume reduction thereof by moving the walls 29 and/or 30.

The metering device of the invention can be readily adapted to fully automatic operation by forming individual bags from a foil strip 32 supply from a supply roll 34. The foil strip which may be a sealable plastic strip or a paper strip, is supplied in the form of two webs 36 and 37 joined along a fold line 35. The two webs are guided to straddle the radial side walls of successive containers on both sides of the wheel. A sealing and cutting device 33 cuts off with its sealing and cutting jaws an appropriate length of the web and seals by glue or heat the respective web edges to each other, thereby forming a bag enveloping the respective container. Obviously, the wheel should be rotated intermittently with this modification, and the cutting and the sealing operation is preferably effected while the wheel is at a standstill. The rotational direction for the just described cutting and sealing operation is indicated by arrow 38. Accordingly, the containers are filled with the material before they reach the foil 32 used for producing the individual bags. To prevent loss of material fed to the containers, a stationary closure member 39 is provided. This closure member is disposed within hub 4 and closes off the inner ends of the containers until the same have at least reached and preferably overrun the location of device 33.

A corresponding sealing device for closing filled bags 27 may, of course, be provided at the receiving station 26 so that the filled bags or other receptacles can be closed before being transported to a point of utilization.

FIG. 3 shows that the container walls 30 which are the forward walls when the wheel turns in the direction of arrow 38, are mounted on a disc 40 which is disposed on one side of wheel 13. The disc is angularly displaceable in the direction of an arrow 41 and can be arrested in the selected angular position. Depending upon the angular position of disc 40 relative to hub 4, container walls 30 approach the respective opposite container walls 29 or are further spaced from the same.

The upper end 42 of the container wall 30 secured to disc 40 mounts an angle tab 43. This tab covers the gap which is formed between the outer stationary spreader ring 31 of fixed length and the wall 30 when this wall is moved toward wall 29, that is, into the interior of container 12.

While the invention has been described in detail with respect to certain now preferred examples and embodiments of the invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the art, after understanding the invention, that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and it is intended, therefore, to cover all such changes and modifications in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A device for filling individual receptacles with a metered quantity of a flowable material from a source of V supply, said device comprising in combination:

a rotatably supported metering wheel, said wheel including a hollow hub open at least at one face end, and a plurality of metering containers supportedby the hub substantially radially disposed thereon with the outer ends of the containers circumferentially spaced one from another for slipping receptacles thereupon, said containers being open at the radially outer and inner ends, the inner ends of said containers communicating with said hollow hub through the wall thereof;

a source of supply for flowable material having a discharge chute extending into the space within the hub through the open face end thereof;

a receptacle retaining and guide slide stationarily mounted radially outside the peripheral outline of the outer ends of the metering containers substantially matching the curvature of said outline and being closely adjacent thereto, said slide extending from about the level of the hub axis through an angle of about 90 to about the bottom level of the wheel and being continued at its lower end by a release slide slanted away from the outer container ends for respectively retaining filled receptacles upon the containers while the containers travel downward and juxtaposed to said retaining and guide slide and releasing the receptacles for removal from the containers when the containers reach a position juxtaposed to said release slide; and

a stationary curved closure member within the hub substantially conforming to inner wall of the hub and covering the open inner ends of the containers while the same travel upward from about the bottom level of the wheel to about the level of the hub axis, said closure member blocking influx of material from the hub into the containers during said upward travel thereby preventing escape of material from the outer container ends while the containers are downwardly slanted,

whereby upon placing receptacles to be filled upon the containers from the open outer end thereof and rotating the wheel, the receptacles are successively filled with material passing from the source of supply into the hub and from the hub into the containers, the capacity of the containers determining the quantity of material flowing into the receptacles.

2. The device according to claim 1 wherein said metering containers are detachably mounted on the hollow hub.

3. The device according to claim 1 wherein the positions of walls of the containers are variable with reference one to another for correspondingly varying the capacity of the containers.

4. The device according to claim 3 wherein each of said containers comprises two radially disposed side walls, and wherein at least one of said side walls of each of the containers is secured to a disc angularly displaceable about the rotational axis of the hub in a plane normal to said rotational axis whereby upon angular displacement of the respective disc the circumferential position of each side wall secured thereto is correspondingly changed with respect to the other side wall of the respective container and thus the capacity of the container.

5. The device according to claim 1 wherein a spreader ring is mounted adjacent to the outer end of each of said containers radially spaced from said end to facilitate placement of receptacles to be filled upon the containers.

6. The device according to claim 1 wherein the cross-sectional area of said containers decreases from the outer end toward the inner end thereof.

7. The device according to claim 1 wherein said metering wheel is substantially vertically disposed to effect gravity fill of the containers and thus of the receptacles placed thereupon while and when the containers travel through said angle through which said retaining and guide slide extends, during each revolution of the wheel.

8. The device according to claim 1 and comprising check means adjacent to the lower end of the release slide for checking the amount of material in a filled receptacle, said release member guiding filled receptacles upon removal thereof from the respective metering container to said check means.

9. The device according to claim 1 wherein said source of flowable material comprises a hopper including at its lower end said discharge chute, and wherein a suction nozzle within said hollow hub is disposed to suck out discrete particles below a predetermined size contained in material discharged by said chute into the hub.

10. The device according to claim 1 wherein said source of supply of flowable material comprises a hopper, said hopper having adjacent to its bottom wall a sieve for passing therethrough discrete particles below a predetermined size contained in the flowable material, and wherein discharge means are provided below said sieve to remove said particles from the hopper.

11. The device according to claim 1 and comprising a frame structure mounting bearing rollers rotatably supporting said hollow hub, and transmission means for drivingly coupling the hub to a drive means.

12. The device according to claim 1 wherein said hub supports several axially spaced sets of radially disposed metering containers. 

1. A device for filling individual receptacles with a metered quantity of a flowable material from a source of supply, said device comprising in combination: a rotatably supported metering wheel, said wheel including a hollow hub open at least at one face end, and a plurality of metering containers supported by the hub substantially radially disposed thereon with the outer ends of the containers circumferentially spaced one from another for slipping receptacles thereupon, said containers being open at the radially outer and inner ends, the inner ends of said containers communicating with said hollow hub through the wall thereof; a source of supply for flowable material having a discharge chute extending into the space within the hub through the open face end thereof; a receptacle retaining and guide slide stationarily mounted radially outside the peripheral outline of the outer ends of the metering containers substantially matching the curvature of said outline and being closely adjacent thereto, said slide extending from about the level of the hub axis through an angle of about 90* to about the bottom level of the wheel and being continued at its lower end by a release slide slanted away from the outer container ends for respectively retaining filled receptacles upon the containers while the containers travel downward and juxtaposed to said retaining and guide slide and releasing the receptacles for removal from the containers when the containers reach a position juxtaposed to said release slide; and a stationary curved closure member within the hub substantially conforming to inner wall of the hub and covering the open inner ends of the containers while the same travel upward from about the bottom level of the wheel to about the level of the hub axis, said closure member blocking influx of material from the hub into the containers during said upward travel thereby preventing escape of material from the outer container ends while the containers are downwardly slanted, whereby upon placing receptacles to be filled upon the containers from the open outer end thereof and rotating the wheel, the receptacles are successively filled with material passing from the source of supply into the hub and from the hub into the containers, the capacity of the containers determining the quantity of material flowing into the receptacles.
 2. The device according to claim 1 wherein said metering containers are detachably mounted on the hollow hub.
 3. The device according to claim 1 wherein the positions of walls of the containers are variable with reference one to another for correspondingly varying the capacity of the containers.
 4. The device according to claim 3 wherein each of said containers comprises two radially disposed side walls, and wherein at least one of said side walls of each of the containers is secured to a disc angularly displaceable about the rotational axis of the hub in a plane normal to said rotational axis whereby upon angular displacement of the respective disc the circumferential position of each side wall secured thereto is correspondingly changed with respect to the other side wall of the respective container and thus the capacity of the container.
 5. The device according to claim 1 wherein a spreader ring is mounted adjacent to the outer end of each of said containers radially spaced from said end to facilitate placement of receptacles to be filled upon the containers.
 6. The device according to claim 1 wherein the cross-sectional area of said containers decreases from the outer end toward the inner end thereof.
 7. The device according to claim 1 wherein said metering wheel is substantially vertically disposed to effect gravity fill of the containers and thus of the receptacles placed thereupon while and when the containers travel through said 90* angle through which said retaining and guide slide extends, during each revolution of the wheel.
 8. The device according to claim 1 and comprising check means adjacent to the lower end of the release slide for checking the amount of material in a filled receptacle, said release member guiding filled receptacles upon removal thereof from the respective metering container to said check means.
 9. The device according to claim 1 wherein said source of flowable material comprises a hopper including at its lower end said discharge chute, and wherein a suction nozzle within said hollow hub is disposed to suck out discrete particles below a predetermined size contained in material discharged by said chute into the hub.
 10. The device according to claim 1 wherein said source of supply of flowable material comprises a hopper, said hopper having adjacent to its bottom wall a sieve for passing theretHrough discrete particles below a predetermined size contained in the flowable material, and wherein discharge means are provided below said sieve to remove said particles from the hopper.
 11. The device according to claim 1 and comprising a frame structure mounting bearing rollers rotatably supporting said hollow hub, and transmission means for drivingly coupling the hub to a drive means.
 12. The device according to claim 1 wherein said hub supports several axially spaced sets of radially disposed metering containers. 